Shannon Sharpe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shannon Sharpe

Sharpe in 2012
No. 81, 84, 82
Position:	Tight end
Personal information
Born:	(1968-06-26) June 26, 1968 (age 57) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High school:	Glennville (Glennville, Georgia)
College:	Savannah State (1986–1989)
NFL Draft:	1990 / Round: 7 / Pick: 192
Career history
Denver Broncos (1990) Baltimore Ravens (2000) Denver Broncos (2002)
Career highlights and awards
3× Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII, XXXV) 4× First-team All-Pro (1993, 1996–1998) Second-team All-Pro (1995) 8× Pro Bowl (1992–1998, 2001) NFL 1990s All-Decade Team Denver Broncos Ring of Fame Denver Broncos 50th Anniversary Team First-team DII All-American (1989) SIAC Player of the Year (1987) 3× First-team All-SIAC (1987–1989) Savannah State Tigers No. 2 retired Savannah State Athletics Hall of Fame Black College Football Hall of Fame NFL record Most receiving yards by a tight end in a game: 214 Longest touchdown reception in a postseason game: 96 yards
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 815 Receiving yards: 10,060 Receiving touchdowns: 62
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Shannon Sharpe (born June 26, 1968) is a famous American former professional football player. He played as a tight end for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Most of his career was spent with the Denver Broncos.

Many people consider Shannon Sharpe one of the best tight ends ever. He holds high rankings for catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns among tight ends. He was also the first NFL tight end to gain over 10,000 receiving yards. In 2011, he was honored by being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Sharpe played college football for the Savannah State Tigers. The Broncos picked him in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL draft. During his time with Denver, he was chosen for seven Pro Bowls in a row. He also won two Super Bowl titles. He later played for the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons. There, he earned another Pro Bowl selection and won a third Super Bowl.

When he retired, Sharpe held NFL records for tight ends in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. After his playing career, he became a sports analyst. He appeared on The NFL Today for CBS Sports. He also co-hosted Skip and Shannon: Undisputed on Fox Sports 1. More recently, Sharpe has become very popular in the sports podcast world. He hosts Club Shay Shay and Nightcap.

Early Life and College Football

Shannon Sharpe grew up in Glennville, Georgia. He is the younger brother of former NFL star wide receiver Sterling Sharpe. In high school, he was an all-state player in three different sports.

Sharpe played football, basketball, and competed in track and field at Savannah State University. In track, he was good at jumping and throwing events.

From 1987 to 1989, Sharpe was chosen three times for the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team. He was named the SIAC Player of the Year in 1987. In 1989, he was also selected as a Kodak Division II All-American. He helped the Tigers' football team achieve their best records ever. They went 7–3 in 1988 and 8–1 in 1989.

In his senior year, Sharpe caught 61 passes for 1,312 yards. He scored 18 touchdowns. He had three games where he gained more than 200 yards. Sharpe finished his college career with 192 catches for 3,744 yards and 40 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Division II Football Hall of Fame in 2009. He also joined Savannah State's athletic Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2013, he was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame. Savannah State University also retired his No. 2 jersey to honor him.

Professional Football Career

Even though he had a great college career, many teams didn't see Shannon Sharpe as a top player for the 1990 NFL draft. He played Division II college football. Also, his size was unusual for a player. He was 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall and weighed 230 lb (104 kg). This was considered too big for a wide receiver and too small for a tight end.

The Denver Broncos eventually picked him in the seventh round. He was the 192nd player chosen. For his first two seasons, he played as a receiver and caught only 29 passes. Then, Denver changed his position to tight end. This was a great move! In his third season, Sharpe caught 53 passes.

He stayed with Denver until 1999. During this time, he won two Super Bowl championships. These were Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII. After that, he played for the Baltimore Ravens for two years. There, he won another Super Bowl, Super Bowl XXXV. He then returned to the Broncos and played until 2003. After that, he retired from playing to become an NFL analyst for CBS.

Ozzie Newsome, who was the Ravens' general manager, spoke highly of Sharpe. He said Sharpe was a "threat" on the field. He noted that Sharpe was a great route-runner and could make big plays. Sharpe was chosen for the All-Pro Team four times. He played in eight Pro Bowls (1992–1998, 2001). He also gained over 1,000 receiving yards in three different seasons.

In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders, Sharpe tied a postseason record. He had 13 catches for 156 yards and one touchdown. In the Ravens' 2000 AFC title game against the Oakland Raiders, he made an amazing play. He caught a short pass and ran 96 yards for a touchdown. This was the only touchdown the Ravens scored in their 16–3 win. This play is still the Ravens' longest offensive play in team history. Sharpe also had a catch of over 50 yards in their other two playoff games that year.

He finished his 14-year career with 815 catches. He had 10,060 receiving yards and 62 touchdowns. He played in 203 games.

Sharpe was considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. He was a semi-finalist again in 2010. On February 6, 2011, Shannon Sharpe was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

2011 NFL Hall of Famers, including Shannon Sharpe (back row, center)

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season Performance

Postseason Performance

Sportscasting and Podcasting Career

Super Bowl XLIV pre-game show: Dan Marino, Bill Cowher, and Shannon Sharpe (right)

After retiring from playing football, Shannon Sharpe became a commentator. He worked for the CBS Sports pregame show The NFL Today. He also helped host the Sprint Halftime Report and the Subway Postgame Show. He worked alongside famous sports figures like James Brown, Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, and Bill Cowher. In 2014, Sharpe and Dan Marino left their roles on The NFL Today.

In 2013, Sharpe started writing columns for FitnessRX For Men magazine. He also appeared on their September 2013 cover. Sharpe hosted the Opening Drive morning program on Sirius NFL Radio with Bob Papa.

Sharpe has become very popular on social media. He is known for his fun personality and sports comments. He is a big fan of NBA player LeBron James. He often calls James the greatest basketball player ever. He even appeared as himself in an episode of the TV show American Dad! called "The Scarlett Getter".

Sharpe joined Skip Bayless on the FS1 sports debate show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed. The show started on September 6, 2016. On the show, Sharpe was known for defending LeBron James. He also often criticized Tom Brady and the Dallas Cowboys. On May 31, 2023, it was announced that Sharpe would leave Undisputed. His last episode was on June 13.

Sharpe also hosts several podcasts. He hosts Club Shay Shay. He also hosts Nightcap with Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Gilbert Arenas. An episode of Club Shay Shay featuring Bubba Wallace was chosen by Apple Podcasts as one of their "Best of 2021." Both of his podcasts have won awards for online media.

On August 23, 2023, Sharpe announced that his Club Shay Shay podcast would join The Volume. This is a digital podcast network started by Colin Cowherd. The next day, Sharpe joined First Take on ESPN. He became a regular panelist starting September 4, 2023. He appeared every Monday and Tuesday during the 2023 NFL season. In February 2024, Sharpe signed a new contract to stay on the show. In June 2024, he signed another multi-year contract with ESPN. This allowed him to have an even bigger role on First Take.

On September 12, 2024, Nightcap streamed "The Roast of Shannon Sharpe." Special guests included Lavell Crawford, Kai Cenat, Godfrey, Cam Newton, and Snoop Dogg.

In February 2025, the "Club Shay Shay" podcast won the Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast award. This was at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards.

Personal Life

Shannon Sharpe has three children. He has one son and two daughters.